The present invention relates generally to repairing conduits and, more specifically, to replacing conduit junction boxes or damaged conduit sections. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to conduit repair kits and methods of replacing junction boxes that do not require removal of the material being housed in the conduit/junction box to affect the repair and/or replacement of the damaged junction box or conduit.
Conduits and conduit junction boxes are employed in myriad applications, such as routing electrical lines through a building to protecting sensitive fiber optic cables from damage. Regardless of the particular application, conduits/junction boxes are pervasively used in the construction of new facilities/buildings and the repair or renovation of old facilities/buildings. As such it is not uncommon for conduits/junctions boxes to be damaged and in need of repair; this is true irrespective of the specific conduit construction (e.g. composite-based conduits such as PVC, metallic-based conducts, etc.).
Unfortunately, repairing the conduit/junction box or replacing damaged conduit sections is often an arduous and toilsome process. Consider a conduit/junction box carrying communication cables (such as CAT5 cables) from a network server to all of the computers throughout the facility. Some of the cables may be several hundred feet in length. In a traditional repair, the damaged conduit section would be removed, often by cutting it out, and a replacement section would be prepared—with the risk that the cables might be harmed during the removal process. However, before the replacement conduit can be bridged between undamaged conduit sections, the cables must first be pulled out of the conduit—the replacement conduit sleeve or junction cannot be fitted into place unless the cables are first removed else the presence of the cables prevents the replacement sleeve or junction from properly mating to the undamaged conduit sections.
Pulling the cables out of the conduit can be a time consuming endeavor, in part, due to the length and number of the cables that must be removed. In many situations cable removal can take hours, not to mention the time expended re-running the cables through the replacement section after the repair/replacement has been completed. Conduit repair has not been a problem ignored by the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,499 issued to Belew et al. discloses a conduit repair system featuring two hinged couplers and a bridging duct with a narrow slit along its length. After the damaged section of conduit has been removed, Belew et al. describes opening the couplers, via the hinges, so that each coupler can be positioned over opposing undamaged sections of conduits. The couplers are then clamped and secured to the undamaged conduit. Next, the bridging duct is moved into position over the couplers. The bridging duct is secured to the couplers by closing the narrow slit running along its length and placing a fastener on the slit to prevent the slit moving opening and allowing the bridging duct to disengage from the couplers. Unfortunately, the narrow slit does not afford the bridging duct with the ability to be positioned if numerous wires (or large diameter wires) are housed in the conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,096 issued to King discloses a pipe repair coupling having two hemicyclic coupling segments having identical cross sections, lengths, and widths. Each segment has an elongated edge with snap fit couplings to allow the segments to be placed around a pipe and be snapped together over the pipe to form a seal around the pipe. Prior to squeezing and snapping the segments together, King advocates applying an adhesive between the pipe and the segments. Undesirably, the small variances in the diameter of the pipe or segments can result in a loose fit and a poor seal.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0108789 and 2007/0176411 filed by Hughes, discloses a unitary conduit repair joint having a female end with an opening diameter larger than that of the damaged conduit so that after the damaged section has been removed, the female end may slip over a first end of undamaged conduit. The unitary repair joint also has a male end, opposite the female end, with an opening diameter less than that of the conduit so that the male end may be inserted into the second end of the undamaged conduit. In operation, the female end is slid over the first end of the conduit far enough to allow the male end to align with the second end of the conduit. Then the male end is encouraged forward into the second end while the female end remains engaged to the first end. To create an adequate seal, an adhesive is used to bond the male and female ends to the undamaged conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,560 describes a replaceable conduit connector for wiring systems that comprises front and back members with notches and ears outside a common plane, limiting it durability and versatility.
Although the prior art proffers many solutions to repair/replace damaged conduits and pipes, the prior art is devoid of a conduit repair kit that can adequately replace/repair a conduit or conduit junction box without need to remove the items housed in the conduit, regardless of the size or number of items employing the conduit/junction box for protection and routing.
Thus, what is needed then, is a system and method for repairing conduits, specifically conduit junction or routing boxes, that can be easily completed without the use of extensive tooling, permitting the material/items housed by the conduit/junction box to remain while the repair/replacement is affected, and is cost and time sensitive.